Goodnight from Sydney

I think I got my knickers in a bit of a twist tonight and posted many responses to the wrong articles! I also still have around ten emails from posters that I would like to reply to, and I will attend to those tomorrow.

Would you like a benchmark of how well we are now doing?:)

We are now rapidly closing in on 3,000 responses and emails since June 22 when I started keeping stats. That figure does not include my responses. The figure now stands at 2,792.

In the last hour, this blog has been visited by 192 unique visitors. At times, it has reached over 300 an hour

The average visit length is now 8.5 minutes. Up from 6.3 last week

The number of new visitors grows daily! I thought it would have peaked by now but obviously interest is growing.

51% of readers are from the UK, with USA in second place at 14%, "unknown" in third with 9% and Canada fourth with 5%. Others include Australia, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Colombia, Switzerland, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Austria.

None of this could have achieved without the help of all those who have responded. It is not just the number of responses - it is the quality. It's what makes us stand out from the others.

There is a heck of a camaraderie on this blog, and that too has helped make it what it has become. A place where people can feel free to comment without fear of censure, threats or intimidation. Even amongst ourselves, we do not always agree on everything - but we respect the other persons point of view, and respect their right to say it.

I am toying with the idea of adding a "chat-box" to the blog. I tried it once and it was a disaster. It stuffed up the blog and came loaded with pop-ups and tracking cookies.

If anyone knows of a reliable, junk-free "chat box" I would be interested in your input.

Thanks again everyone. I will be a bit late tomorrow, but...

Wherever you may be - be safe

Late news! Tomorrow or the day after, this blog will reach a landmark - 4,500 articles. It now stands at 4,496. If I wouldn't have spent so much time in the tapas bar next to the fish and chip shop, I would have made it tonight!